


For Heirs to Come, Be Brave

by andachippedcup



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-15
Updated: 2019-05-15
Packaged: 2020-03-06 00:44:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,539
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18840160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/andachippedcup/pseuds/andachippedcup
Summary: Before the events leading to their interrogation by the SCPD in 7x20, Felicity and Oliver get some news about the baby.





	For Heirs to Come, Be Brave

Felicity had learned fast that it wasn’t precisely easy, this whole being pregnant thing. It was considerably more difficult when compounded with the realities of being Overwatch and the wife of the _freaking_ Green Arrow. Add in the _super_ fun family dynamics of Emiko and her vendetta against the Queens and swollen feet and ankles, pregnancy cravings, and nausea and well _frack_ , pregnancy was _hard_.

Mercifully, the ginger candies John had given her had helped with the nausea a lot. Foot rubs from Oliver were basically a god send, and as for the vigilante-ing well… Their partnership with the SCPD was tenuous at best but at the very least, they were working in the light, just as Oliver had wanted to for their family. That was at least slightly less stressful than trying to keep the SCPD in the dark about their identities and the full scope of their late night activities.

But living and working in the light, with their identities known to the world? It came at a cost. And the fear that she felt for her unborn child was constricting and claustrophobic at times. Living in the open meant that she carried that fear with her everywhere because everywhere she went, she was known and she wore a target, which by extension meant the baby did as well. And because of that target, she had remained adamant that they hide the truth of their child from the world for as long as possible.

Time was running out for that though; mercifully, the planes of her stomach had cooperated and had not truly betrayed the presence of the precious cargo she carried. Compared to a lot of pregnant women (and an in depth web search through medical journals), Felicity knew she was barely showing for this stage of her pregnancy. But those days were running out. She knew by the way that her pants weren’t fitting her (she was straining her waistbands these days something fierce) she was going to start _noticeably_ showing – and soon.

That added a whole other level of stress to her already long list of stressors. What was one more source of stress though, right? It wasn’t like her husband’s secret half sister was trying to kill him. And it wasn’t like a whole evil organization of bad guys was helping said half-sister to spread the super lethal, super toxic Cygnus X-1 across the city. And who cared that the SCPD and Team Arrow were hanging to their uneasy truce by a thread? And did it really matter if her company was basically dead in the water? And who could forget that the piece of tech she’d designed and been so proud of had been hijacked and monstrously misused, leaving her feeling less Steve Jobs and more Doctor Frankenstein.

Yeah, her stress level was _really_ freaking high. Even for someone like her whose baseline was probably a normal person’s stressed out. To say she was feeling the strain would not have been an overstatement.

Was it any wonder she’d gone through three bags of gummy bears (well, more like two really, she’d diligently picked out basically an entire bag’s worth of the red ones – no thank you artificial strawberry flavoring) while waiting for Oliver and Dr. Schwartz to show up? The good doctor had been kind enough to be their hush hush OB/GYN thus far and she’d been an angel about sneaking their appointments in off-book. Hopefully the doctor wouldn’t be too mad at Felicity for eating before the ultrasound; strictly speaking that wasn’t encouraged but for crying out loud, she was growing a whole other person! Waiting hours without food before the ultrasound was basically torture. And torture went against the Geneva Convention.

Felicity had nothing if not respect for the Geneva Convention.

She’d been about to tear into a fourth bag of gummy bears when she’d gotten a text from Oliver, her phone chiming his personalized _‘thwick thwick’_ notification tone.

“ _Change of plans. Toth refused to let us help Aerodyne protect the thermal fogger._ ”

A small growl of annoyance escaped her as she tapped quickly at her phone to respond to Oliver, her mind racing with the repercussions of Toth’s rejection.

“ _What? Why would he do that? He has to realize that he has nothing to gain and everything to lose by rejecting the team’s help. Talk about suspect motives._ ”

She fired off the text and without looking, opened the fourth bag as she regarded her phone screen, watching as the “…” appeared as Oliver crafted his response to her. Still focused on her phone screen, she popped a gummy bear into her mouth, only to nearly choke as she coughed it up. _Eww. Red_. Crossing the room to toss the vile gummy away, she rooted through the rest of the bag to similarly dispose of its peers when her phone chimed again.

“ _I know. It’s definitely suspicious. I think we need to look deeper into why Toth isn’t letting us help out._ ”

Chuckling to herself, Felicity shook her head. When would the bad guys learn that if it was digital, it could be hacked and therefore, could be found and utilized against them? Well, hopefully never. A smarter breed of criminal was so _not_ what they needed.

“ _And by ‘we’ I’m assuming you mean your super smart, SCPD-sanctioned hacker wife and by ‘look into’ I assume you mean dive deep into his whereabouts and financial records?_ ”

The message sent and she seated herself on the exam table, swinging her legs anxiously as she awaited his response.

 _“I did mean exactly that. Except you forgot ‘beautiful’. My super smart, beautiful, SCPD-sanctioned hacker wife._ ”

Oh he was smooth. Cheesy as could be, but smooth. Blushing faintly, she fired off a quick reply.

“ _Flattery well played. I’ll head to the Bunker now._ ”

Sighing, she glanced around the room and tamped down her disappointment. They’d just have to reschedule… _Again_. Swallowing back her disappointment, she rose to grab her purse and jacket when the door opened and an all too familiar face entered the room.

“I don’t know about heading there _now._ I think Toth can wait at least a few minutes while we check up on little Lucas or Mia.”

Oliver grinned as he took in the sight of her, yellow and orange gummy bears in hand. Beaming, she flung herself at him and wrapped him up in a giant hug, delighting in the way he buried his head in her hair.

“Thank you for remembering.” She whispered in relief, feeling the knot of anxiety in her stomach loosen ever so slightly.

“Of course. How could I forget?” Oliver breathed against her ear, continuing to hold her against him. “I didn’t want this to end up being another thing we sacrifice because of everything that’s going on.” Oliver responded, leaning away from her enough so that he could stare down at her intently. “Our family will always be the most important thing to me. No matter what.” He flashed her the special smile that he seemed to save for her and oof. That smile could (and did) make her weak in the knees. "Now, not to change the subject but uh... I thought you weren't supposed to eat before the ultrasound?" Oliver queried, pointing at the incriminating gummy bears in her hand.

Felicity was saved from having to respond in defense of her eating habits, however, by a gentle knock that preceded the door cracking open to admit Doctor Schwartz. She grinned upon catching sight of the couple, closing the door quietly behind her.

“Are we ready to get a look at this kid?” She inquired and both Felicity and Oliver lit up, answering in enthusiastic unison.

“Yes!”

“Excellent. Mom, how about you have a seat on the table, you know the drill. Dad, there’s a chair next to the exam table for you. Mom, shirt up, if you don’t mind.” Doctor Schwartz directed and Felicity quickly tugged her top up, holding the fabric just below her breasts as Oliver’s eyes zeroed in on her bare stomach.

“Fair warning, this is going to be cold.” The doctor warned and despite the warning, Felicity still sucked in a breath as the gel was poured over her stomach.

“Propylene glycol? Have you ever used Carbapol R940 polymer gel instead or…?” Felicity trailed off as she caught the blank expressions on both the Doctor and Oliver’s faces. “Nevermind. Cold gel, check. Let’s get a look at this kid that, if there is any justice in this world, will inherit Oliver’s good health and good looks and my brains with none of the nervous babbling tendencies.” She was flushed with excitement and her nervous chatter was flaring up big time as a result. Oliver’s hands gently pried the illicit gummy bears out of her clenched fist and then took her now freed hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze.

Felicity’s attention diverted from the doctor and her eyes slid to his with an almost magnetic sweep. The sight of him, joyful and relaxed, put her instantly at ease and her body seemed to uncoil, tension seeping out of her as she continued to stare into his eyes.

“I love you.” Oliver smiled and who needed ultrasound goo? He’d basically turned her _into_ goo with that look and those words.

“I love you too.” She echoed softly, inhaling deeply before she refocused on the Doctor, who was watching the couple expectantly. “We’re ready.” Felicity confirmed with a gentle nod, watching intently as Doctor Schwartz began to move the wand across her patient’s burgeoning stomach.

Silence fell and Felicity could feel Oliver’s hands squeeze hers more tightly as the wand passed across her stomach and Doctor Schwartz adjusted it, her focus going from Felicity’s stomach to the screen before her and back again several times. And then, just when Felicity thought the suspense might do Oliver in (and her not far behind him), a quiet, life giving _womp-a-womp-a-womp-a_ broke the silence.

“Felicity, Oliver, that is your baby’s heartbeat.” Doctor Schwartz announced and Felicity felt tears welling in her eyes as she listened to the most incredible noise she’d ever heard in her life. “And this,” Doctor Schwartz smiled as she spun the screen to face the couple, “-is your baby.”

The screen was an ever shifting sea of grays interspersed with black and white. But there, in the midst of it all was their baby, looking so _real_ that it was all Felicity could do not to reach out and cradle her child.

Before she realized it, she was laughing and there were happy tears tracing down her cheeks as Oliver kissed her forehead and the side of her face in ecstasy.

“I-Is the baby… Is it healthy?” He asked breathlessly, a hollow note of fear entering his voice as Oliver watched Doctor Schwartz stare hard at the screen with a look of concentration. Shifting her focus back to the parents-to-be, Doctor Schwartz smiled.

“Yes. Everything looks good so far. Give me just a minute…” Doctor Schwartz trailed off, tapping and clicking away on her computer while Felicity and Oliver watched on, transfixed. “Okay. Head, chest, abdomen, all great. Spine looks good, heart rate is 140, which is precisely within normal range. Your baby’s face and extremities look good. Really, everything is looking good on the baby’s end.” At this, Felicity and Oliver smiled and leaned into each other until their foreheads touched and they shared a quick kiss.

“Felicity, everything on your end looks fairly good too from what I’m seeing so far – placenta, uterus, I’m not seeing any fibroids or cysts. Although, you are a little below my target weight for you at this stage, so make sure you’re eating well.” Doctor Schwartz smiled encouragingly and Felicity turned to Oliver and pointed at the gummy bears he’d taken from her.

“You heard the doctor. Gimme.” Felicity put out her free hand and Oliver chortled but obliged, handing back the gummy bears which Felicity made quick work of.  

“Now, what I _am_ seeing is, based on these measurements, you’re at about eighteen weeks. And that means that, if you want, I can get some additional angles and tell you the baby’s sex today.” The brunette looked at the two with raised brows, leaving time to decide what they wanted to do.

“Do you want to know?” Felicity asked Oliver in a quiet voice, trying to allow him the space to say no but desperately hoping he wouldn’t.

“Do I want to know if we’re having a boy or a girl?” Oliver repeated, staring at her adoringly. “Yeah, I do. But not if you don’t want to, there’s no press-” He hurried, only for her to interrupt him.

“I want to!” She yelped, clapping a hand over her mouth and then pulling it away once she’d regained her composure. “I want to. I really want to. I mean with everything else going on and the chaos and the uncertainty we deal with every day-”

“-it would be nice to have one thing figured out already? Like whether we’re having a Lucas or a Mia?” Oliver supplied and Felicity melted against him, nodding.

“Exactly.”

They held each other’s gaze for a beat, smiling tenderly at one another before they refocused their attention on Doctor Schwartz.

“We would like very much to know, Doctor Schwartz.” Oliver responded, his grip on Felicity’s hand steadfast as the doctor moved the wand around Felicity’s stomach before tapping something on her computer.

“Well, your little one is being most cooperative so please pass along my thanks.” Doctor Schwartz beamed after a minute or two of moving the wand across Felicity’s abdomen. “And I am pleased to tell you that you are having a very healthy little girl.”

Oliver and Felicity were both still for a moment as the news sank in and then Oliver was enveloping Felicity in a hug, both of them all smiles.

“We’re having a girl.” Oliver’s expression was one of dazed joy and Felicity was overwhelmed with her own elation as she pressed a kiss to his lips.

“Mia.” She sighed softly and Oliver met her gaze knowingly, looking so soft and so vulnerable and at peace that Felicity wished she could bottle this moment and hold onto it forever.

“Mia.” He smiled as he wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, beaming all the while.

Come hell or high water, or Emiko and the Ninth Circle, nothing was going to take away the joy Felicity felt in that moment, sharing in the joy of her daughter (her _daughter_!) with her husband. They would handle Emiko’s villainous machinations and Toth’s suspect motives and the Ninth Circle’s destructive scheming in due time. But Felicity was going to bask in this small slice of eternity, the delight and the love and the connection that she felt for as long as she could. She was going to hold it near and dear to her heart, a talisman against the coming tribulations.

Because she and Oliver were having a healthy baby _girl_. She and little baby Mia were healthy. And in that moment, little else mattered. Because their family? It was bigger than any freaking villain they came up against.


End file.
